Monthly Archives: February 2022

This is Today

I try to keep my blog a healing and nurturing place for myself and maybe a bit of an escape for readers. So I don’t like to write here about political issues. In fact, I hate politics, although I recognize how important they are. I can wish for permanent world peace, but I know that humans are deeply flawed and that the concept is a utopian ideal. Even without taking into account sociopaths and psychopaths, humans are gnarly, snarly selfish creatures. That said, there are plenty of mainly wonderful people doing wonderful things in this world.

Anyway this is leading up to me saying something about a political situation. And that is war perpetuated against Ukraine by Putin and Company. I find it so distressing, both for the Ukrainians and for world stability. There are constant wars against people all around the world, but the reason I am commenting here on this isn’t because these are white Europeans, although I’ve seen people argue this. It’s because there is a domino effect that can occur and there is a pattern of war in Europe contributing to or leading to war in many regions (world war).

Additionally, all four of the gardener’s grandparents were Jews from Ukraine, although it was part of the Russian Empire in those days.  Jewish history beyond the Pale has a lot of sad chapters, but there were also happy times and some good neighbors. Volodymyr Zelenskyy being selected as president of Ukraine was a big deal. He not only was a comedian and not a politician before this top office, but he is Jewish. How significant and hopeful that someone Jewish could be elected president of Ukraine. And now this horror.  Please send Ukraine what you’re good at: prayers, protesting, positive vibes, money, whatever you can do.

Here is a poem Rattle just published by a Ukrainian poet. She took Putin’s speech from Feb 21 and created an erasure poem, where words are erased to find a different meaning. Mir in Ukraine

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I had to get a piece of my memoir ready for the workshop at the Tucson Festival of Books. I received the manuscripts from the other participants the other day and am eager to read them. Some of them are probably the same pieces that made them finalists. For mine, I chose a different one. For the contest I sent in the first section of the memoir, about when I was a little kid. For the workshop I sent in the next section, where I was ten to 14 or so. I know that makes it sound like an autobiography, but it’s definitely a memoir, focused more on my relationship with my father.

On the subject of my arty junk journals, I began to prep the book to use for daughter’s wedding journal. First I had to gut my 2nd year French book. That felt great! It also provided me with some collage materials–music, maps, French passages. When I first saw people altering books, I didn’t like it. I couldn’t imagine violating a book. The teaching I had received about treating books like treasures was strong within me. But now I realize that there are plenty of books that end up in landfills and that there is a difference between an out-of-date textbook and a first edition of Peter Pan. It’s fun to give the book cover and the “collage materials” from the inside new life.

Reading some good books, such as Ashley C. Ford’s Somebody’s Daughter, a memoir, and Caroline Goodwin’s Madrigals, a collection of poetry and collage art.

 

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Après Wedding

The wedding was a huge success. A little back story, first.

After twelve years as best friends, my daughter and her husband began dating. A little over a year later, they became engaged.  Two months after the proposal, we signed for a venue for their wedding that was to be March 2021. About two weeks after the contract was signed, covid struck.

Eventually, it became clear that the wedding needed to be postponed. While this all sounds simple, it was very chaotic and stressful.

The couple chose 12 February 2022 as the new date. At that point, they both assumed that with the vaccine ahead of us that covid would be over by then. Last early spring we all got vaccinated. This fall, we all got boostered and crossed our fingers. Every time covid was on the news, I got so nervous. What was going to be a big wedding became a “decent size” event of just over 100 people.

Two weeks before the wedding, I stopped going in public because I was terrified I would get omicron and not be able to attend the wedding. By that point, the gardener and I assumed we were going to get omicron and were hoping for the best outcome. Most of the guests were coming from out of town, many on planes across the country (and one from Austria).

The couple had waited long enough and, really, needed to get on with their lives instead of everything “being about” the wedding. I planned to be as careful as possible. Well, the morning of the day before, I got to the venue for the rehearsal and the parking lot was filled with my daughter’s friends, many who had also been a part of my life for years. The hugging commenced! I decided to just enjoy myself.

We’re now over a week out from the wedding, omicron’s incubation period averages three days, and I have not heard of any person getting covid at the wedding. Are we really getting over the covid nightmare? Trust me, I know how very lucky we are.

My favorite parts of the wedding and related events:

  • spending time with friends of the couple, as well as those of the gardener and me
  • the speeches at the reception
  • the vows daughter and my SIL wrote for each other
  • chair dance (yup, I went up in the chair!)

Also, my daughter and her friend (an interior designer who gave lots of help!) made beautiful signs for everything with a cricut machine. I’m going to have my daughter teach me how to use it because it’s so cool. Here are a smattering of signs. You might need to click on the images to see the captions.

Leaving you with an image of daughter and me (sorry you can’t see my boots).

Yes, my daughter’s dress was truly one of the most gorgeous wedding gowns ever. Just stunning. While I hate dressing up, generally choosing to wear ratty yoga pants, I did fall in love with my own dress this time around. The metallic pattern was light blue outside, as if it reflected the blue Arizona sky. And the sky was so blue and the air so perfect, reaching a temperature of 81.

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What a Wedding

The wedding weekend was a huge success. My daughter and her husband are a real life tears-to-eyes love story–the kind that promises everyone that even if they haven’t yet found a healthy deep love, that they still might. That person might even be their best friend! How fitting that I share that little comment on Valentine’s Day.

But I am not so young any more, and I am totally and completely, even utterly, exhausted after two full days of wedding fesitivities. Therefore, I will leave you with one photo, of my daughter’s dress train. Pretty sure this is the most gorgeous wedding dress I’ve ever seen. While she picked it out, I will say that I was the one helping her so I want a bit of credit! If you want to see more photos, check out my Instagram, which is public access: @catpoems.

Make it a good week!

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Saddest Poem Ever–and Happy Days This Week

Anyone can subscribe for free to receive a poem every day from the website poems.com through their Poetry Daily program.

On Saturday, they emailed a poem that really bothers me. I will post the link so you can read it. I hope you will because I want to know what others think. I posted it on my Facebook wall and nobody has even responded by the time I am writing this post.

Love Letter to Who Owns the Heavens

What do you think? Is that not the SADDEST thing? What in the world are we doing to our future?

Yeah, call me Debbie Downer to start off Monday like this.

But here’s a cheery thought. My daughter is getting married at the end of the week! Let’s hear some applause, please!  It’s been two years of Covid, as you well know, and finally they are holding their wedding. It will be much smaller than previously fantasized (by the couple), but more intimate–and hopefully lots of fun.  The gardener and I are both going to walk daughter down the aisle. Hope I don’t step on that long train!

My daughter isn’t a pink and glittery type, but she picked out a very Disney princess-style wedding gown, surprising me speechless. And to keep her company, I am wearing a ball gown (with black boots ;)).

Please help us in hoping for the best this weekend!

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